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Patented Mar. 28, I899.

C. J. FEDEH. RAlLWAY ADVERTISING APPARATU$. (Application filed Dec. 23,189 8.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

INVENTOR fi my,

WITNESSES:

ATTORNEYS No. 622,l85. Patented Mar. 28, I899. C. J. FEDER.

RAILWAY ADVERTISING APPARATUS.

(Applicatio n filed Dec. 23, 189B.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 (No Model.)

INVENTOR ATTORNEYS NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ASSIGNOR TO ROSA RAILWAY ADVERTISING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 622,185, dated March28, 1899.

Application filed December 23, 1898. Serial No- 700,093. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES J. FEDER, a citizen of the United States,residingin Paterson, in the county of Passaic and State of New Jersey,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway AdvertisingApparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to beafull, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to rotating signs for vehicles, and it hasreference particularly to a device of this nature which is automaticallyactuated from the running-gear of the vehicle.

The object of the invention is to provide an automatically-rotating signwhich shall be simple and durable in construction and effective inoperation and the actuating parts of which may be rendered adjustable,so that the intermittent movements of the Sign may be efiected with moreor less frequency, as desired. 1

A further object of the invention is to provide for use in connectionwith an apparatus constructed upon the principles of my invention anilluminated sign of improved construction.

The invention consists in the improved automatically-actuated rotatingsign, in the peculiar sign proper, in the means for automatically andintermittently rotating said sign,

and in the combination and arrangement of the various parts of theapparatus, substantially as will be hereinafter fully described andfinally embodied in the clauses of the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a View in side elevation of acar provided with my improved rotating sign and the operating mechanismtherefor, parts of said car being broken away to show portions of theapparatus involved in my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional Viewon the line :20 a: of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation of oneof the car-wheels and of a portion of the actuating means for the signoperatively connected therewith. Fig. 4 is a view partly in sideelevation and partly in section of my improved sign proper, showing themeans wherebyitis supported and illuminated; and Fig. 5 is a sectionaldetail view of what is shown in Fig. 4.

In said drawings, aindicates the sign, there being one upon andextending along each side of the car nearits roof. These signs arepreferably cylindrical; but they may be prismshaped, provided they havea sufficient number of faces so that in effect they are substantiallycylindrical. elongated hollow body formed of some translucent material,upon which the advertising matter is placed and which is adapted tocontain the illuminating devices. Each end of the cylinder is providedwith a cap b, which is penetrated by a trunnion 0, having flanges c,which embrace and are secured to said cap by rivets or in any otherdesired manner. Said trunnions are journaled in suitable bearings d,mounted in each end wall of the car, and they are hollow, so as to admita rod 6, which forms a portion of a bracket that extends throughout thelength of the sign and supports incandescent electric lamps 6. One endof each rod 6 is curved or bent about the adjacent lamp, to the socketof which its extremity is secured in any desired manner. It should beremarked that either one of the two end rods of the bracket is simply astraight one. The two end rods are journaled near their free ends indownwardly-bent arms f, which project outwardly from the wall of thecar, and.

each of said arms is, furthermore, provided with a key f, which works ina feather g, formed in the arm f, so that when said key and feather arein alinement the entire normally acting to hold the bracket inwardly ortoward the other end of the car. The free end of each rod is providedwith a knob j, whereby it is manipulated.

Each sign consists of an 7t designates one of a pair of small bracketscarrying a brush 7;, which is adapted to wipe upon one or other of thecollars h h, according to the position thereof, and havingabinding-screw k mounted thereon. To the hinding-screws k is adapted tobe connected the conductor from the source of electrical energy.

One of the hollow trunnions c is somewhat longer than the other and isprovided midway between the sign and the side wall of the car with abevel-pinion Z, carrying, rigidly connected therewith, another andsmaller bevel-pinion Z, and itself engaging still another bevel-pinion Zcarried upon the upper end of a vertical revoluble shaft on, havingsuitable hearings in the wall of the car. The two signs in the car areoperatively connected by a revoluble transverse shaft 91, also havingsuitable hearings in the wall of the car and having its pinions, one ofwhich is carried on each end, in engagement with a pinion l on thetrunnions of the signs.

The lower end-of the shaft on carries another bevel-pinion 0, which isin engagement with a smaller pinion upon one end of asuitably-journaledhorizontal shaft 0', the other end of said last-named shaft beingoperatively connected through bevel-gearin g with a vertical shaft 0 Theshaft 0 is adapted to be rotated also through bevel-gearing by a shortshaft 1), journaled in a bifurcated bracket 1), suspended from the floorof the car. Between the spaced portions of said bracket 1) is carried aratchet-wheel q, which is rigidly secured to the shaft p, and a lever r,freely fulcrumed upon said shaft 1) and carrying a spring-actuated pawls, that engages the teeth of the ratchet-wheel q.

The lever is vibrated by means of a cam t, rigidly mounted upon the axleu of one of a pair of wheels of the vehicle. Said lever has alongitudinal channel 'v, with which a similarly-arranged slot to,forming an opening through said lever, communicates. In said channel ismounted a wedge-shaped block y, carrying a set-screw z, which works insaid slot 10 and by which longitudinal adjustment of the block may beeffected. It should be remarked that the block is disposed between thelever and the cam and that the latter therefore bears against it.

The upper end of the block 3 is connected with a bracket .2, whichprojects downwardly from the floor of the car, by a spiral spring 2which normally acts to hold the block against the cam.

It is believed that the operation of the apparatus will be clearlyunderstood without description. It should be noted, however,

that by virtue of the adjustability of the block q the frequency of theintermittent rotary movements of the signs is rendered controllableaccording to the normal speed of the car. It is my purpose to providethe signs with continuous advertisements-that is to say, advertisementseach of which will extend at least around the signso that eachintermittent actuation of the latter will present to the observer onlyaportion of the advertisements at a time. The number of advertisementswill therefore depend only upon the width of each of them and the lengthof the sign.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with a vehicle, of a revoluble sign suitablyjournaled therein, a ratchet carried by said vehicle, a lever fulcrumedupon a portion of said vehicle in proximity to said ratchet, aspring-actuated pawl carried by the lever and'adapted to engage saidratchet, operative connections between said ratchet and the sign, a camcarried by a revolving member of the runninggear and engaging said leverto vibrate the same, and means, disposed between the lever and the camand adjustably mounted upon the latter, for varying the movement of saidlever, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a vehicle, of a plurality of revolving signsjournaled therein, a ratchet carried by said vehicle, a lever fulcrumedupon a portion of said vehicle in proximity to said ratchet, aspring-actuated pawl carried by the lever and adapted to engage saidratchet, operative connections between said ratchets and one of thesigns and between the respective signs, a cam carried by a revolvingmember of the running-gear and engaging said lever to vibrate the same,and a wedge, disposed between the lever and the cam and adjustablymounted upon the latter, for varying the movement of said lever,substantially as described.

3; In an advertising apparatus for vehicles, the combination, of asuitably journaled translucent cylinder, a hollow trunnion carried oneach end of and supporting the same, a lamp-carrying bracket projectingthrough said cylinder and penetrating said trunnions, suitably-supportedarms forming bearings for said brackets, one at each end thereof, acollar or collars on said bracket, a spiral spring disposed between saidcollar and the arm, and a feather-and-key arrangement between said armand the bracket, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this25th day of November, 1898.

CHAS. J. FEDER.

\Vitnesses:

JOHN W. STEWARD, ALFRED GARTNER.

